8/25/13

The Citadel of Québec

iPhone shot of Old Québec & St. Lawrence River taken from the Citadel

There I was on the Citadel atop a rocky bluff overlooking Vieux-Québec, stunned by the view of Saint Lawrence River cutting a huge swath on the land. A little over 400 years ago, French navigator Samuel de Champlain sailed across the Atlantic ocean and into the same river, setting foot right somewhere below where I'm standing. On July 3, 1608, a French colony for New France arose on the riverbank to become the Old Québec we now see - a UNESCO World Heritage site.
It's quite obvious why de Champlain chose the site. The ease with which boats could travel from the ocean and the fact that a promontory offered a great defense made it easier to establish a French settlement in North America. As with all acquisitions during Europe's Age of Exploration however, greed for land led to battles after battles. The British came along, seizing the city in 1759 which led to a protracted war until the French has had enough and gave up in 1763.

Even under British rule, Québec wasn't totally hands off from another invasion. The simmering American Revolutionary War in the south led the Continental Army to set it sights on its northern neighbor. The Yankees were hoping to gain military control of the land and earn support from French-speaking locals for its much bigger objective. Which is something like a merger against the Brits. The Battle of Quebec - as it's called - was a big loss for the Americans.

To counter future American attacks, the British improved on original French ramparts atop Cap Diamant (Cape Diamond), turning it into the solidly-built star-shaped Citadel. This took them more than a decade to complete. The strategic location of this stronghold is so important that even today, the Citadel remains an active military garrison, currently home to theRoyal 22nd Regiment of the Canadian Forces. While threats of wars are long gone, an invasion of a more peaceful kind has assaulted the soldiers stationed there - tourists.

"I Remember"

Being a military property, visiting the Citadel is only possible with a guide. A guided tour is 10 CAD per person. Going there early afternoon, without any shade or cover, the summer sun was roasting us as we toured the windswept fortress along with other guests. Within the walls are 24 buildings, including the Governor General's residence. There are cannons and artillery guns and other reminders of wars past. We entered what used to be a gunpowder room to view displays of artifacts and various military uniforms. Once done with the tour, we exited the Citadel grounds through the same gate we entered at the Dalhousie Gate.

While we're mostly left to imagine the horrors of war each time we visit old fortresses, we always leave impressed with formidable defense systems built at a time when most depend on tedious manual labor. The Citadel is no exception. It helped Québec from invasions and destruction. Even helped cement the city's reputation as "the Gibraltar of North America".

Fortresses are like open museums to remind us exactly about the "where" in a country's history - too bad it's mostly about wars and lives lost. The Citadel is unique though since it's still currently used by the Canadian forces.

Ah, Quebec. That's the province I wish I had visited when I was still living close by. Unfortunately, I didn't get to explore much of Canada aside from Ontario. People were telling me how nice Montreal was, but I opted to go to farther places instead of visiting something that was just close by.

I think we're on the same boat. Too often we put nearby places in the back burner, thinking it's something we can always visit anytime. Look at me, I have not even been to Boston - which is only 3 hours away!! I should start visiting the 'neighborhood'.

Places like these are such a joy to explore - you really feel the weight of history, walking those corridors and ramparts! Although I visited the Plains of Abraham and strolled through the upper and lower towns, I didn't make it inside the citadel itself. I also love the fact that Quebec's name is derived from the local Algonquin word, "where the river narrows". You can clearly see that in your iPhone shot from the Citadel. :)

You know James, I really never knew how big St. Lawrence river was until I saw it from that vantage point in the Citadel. It even took me awhile to grasp the meaning of Quebec's derivative word because even at its narrowest point (where the old city is directly opposite Old Levis), it does still look very wide. Must be very interesting to arrive in Quebec on a boat from the ocean don't you think?